Video: Bentley Dropped a Skydiver Onto the Runway, and More Hijinks From Aspen Fashion Week

Every March for the last four years, Aspen—the most expensive town in America, where the average home is priced at $6 million—hosts one of the chicest fashion events around, Aspen Fashion Week. For the past three years, I've been making the annual cross-country pilgrimage to check out the upcoming winter's luxury skiwear and outerwear collections from brands such as Kjus, Obermeyer, and Marmot. AFW is also a great opportunity to catch up with creative folks such as fashion week regular Lauren Bush, scope out some of the local style (this town has, in the words of my buddy Nick, "Total Image Commitment"), and learn more about real-world fashion outside New York City. Check out some of my snaps and videos from the first couple of days, after the jump.

Landing in Aspen/Pitkin County Airport is always a trip. First of all, it's totally gorgeous, surrounded by mountains and blue sky. What's also amazing is (especially if you come in on the weekend like we did) that the airport can sometimes look like a parking lot—for private planes! So many people who come to Aspen fly private, so the airport is like a giant field of fancy tiny jets.

This year, for the first time, Bentley is an Aspen Fashion Week sponsor. We hitched a ride from the airport to the hotel in a super-chic Bentley sedan (not a bad way to be greeted at your destination, I'll tell ya)...

It seems super-indulgent to come all the way to Aspen for fashion week, I know, but there's a method to this madness (I think). Here's a shot of the main runway venue, the Snowstage, on the first day (above). I love that most of Aspen Fashion Week's shows take place outdoors—that's such a luxury in this industry, and, honestly, I can't think of any other fashion week that takes place predominantly outside. The weather, as you can tell, is gorgeous, and shows are always slated for the late afternoon, apres ski, when the sun is still shining, it's still warm enough to sit ringside, coatless, and there's enough natural light to shoot great photos. Oh, and seeing the outerwear set against its natural environment—the mountains!—is amazing.

Note: If you are a guy editor, a woolly knit cap is a must-have this season. See: Menswear editors Sean, Nick, and Randy, above.

This year's Aspen Fashion Week kicked off with a bang—when Bentley... wait for it... dropped a skydiver onto the runway (okay, backstage-ish) from a helicopter. Seriously. Check out the video, above. It was probably the most mindblowing stunt I've ever seen at any fashion week anywhere in the world.

On day one, we checked out collections from Skea, a bold and bright (primary colors, none of that neon stuff!) collection of ski and outdoor wear by Diane Boyer (a fellow Dartmouth alumna!).

Diane's a native East Coaster who grew up on the slopes of Vermont, so she's been in the ski industry and the ski apparel world her whole life! These days, she and her company—which is one of the only 100% woman-owned companies in the industry—is based out of Vail. My favorite pieces? Diane's signature puffas.

At the end of the night, we headed over to the St. Regis fashion week stage to check out menswear label Isaora—they staged a super-cool presentation that was, like, straight out of Paris or New York. Check out the male models—faces shrouded in ski masks—standing on platforms in the dark. Very edgy, no?

And here are the nighlights in the trees outside my window. Mountain time + high altitude + full day of shows = tired Danica. There's so much more to come from Aspen Fashion Week, though, so stay tuned! I'll have more hijinks for you in the next couple of days.

Do you ski? How important is skiwear and winter outdoor fashion to you? I love that winterwear has really become more fashion-y (and less neon-green-y) over the last few years! Stay tuned for more dispatches from Aspen. I'm off for another day of shows!